Yerba Buena Gardens

A spot of green in the swath of concrete South of Market. With Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and SFMOMA on one side and the Metreon on the other, this is a prime spot for sun and downtime in between art and a movie. Free noontime concerts in summer feature world music, hip-hop and jazz. The show-stopping centerpiece is Houston Cornwell and Joseph De Pace’s sleek Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Fountain, a wall of water that runs over the Reverend’s immortal words: ‘…until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ A pedestrian bridge over Howard St links the popular esplanade to its tagalong kid sister, an often overlooked playground and entertainment complex that includes the worthwhile Zeum, a small bowling alley and ice rink, and a carousel.